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If it feels like the 49ers don’t typically attempt Hail Marys at the end of a half, it’s because they don’t. Or at least it’s not something head coach and play caller Kyle Shanahan is interested in doing.
As a younger offensive coordinator Shanahan would always take the end-of-half shot because he believe the reward outweighed the risk. That is until his dad, long-time NFL offensive coordinator and Super Bowl winning head coach Mike Shanahan, got in his ear about it.
The two were together for four seasons in Washington when Mike was the head coach and Kyle was his offensive coordinator. Shanahan told Jourdan Rodrigue of the Athletic on her podcast The Playcallers that his dad taught him that lesson when they coached together.
“My dad would get mad at me every second quarter when I’d call a Hail Mary from the 50,” Shanahan said.
He went on to relay this conversation:
Mike: “Why do you keep doing that?!”
Kyle: “Cuz there’s no time! We might as well have a chance.”
Mike: “They never work!”
Kyle: “I know, but what’s the harm in it? It might work.”
Mike: “I’ve called plays long enough. Do you know what it does to a quarterback when he comes out in the third quarter and he has two picks up on that scoreboard instead of one?”
Kyle: “No.”
Mike: “It messes him up!”
Kyle: “Well he’s thinking about the wrong stuff then, dad. Who the hell cares about stats? We need to keep throwing the ball.”
As a young, inexperienced offensive coordinator, Shanahan was steadfast in his thought process. He later learned that his dad was right.
“Five years later, I’m not calling that Hail Mary,” Shanahan said. “‘That just messed up my quarterback. He had two picks that weren’t his fault, then he threw a third on a Hail Mary and now I can’t get him to throw the ball in the second half. ‘Oh man, my dad was right. He knew what he was talking about.'”
This might also explain some of the 49ers’ strange clock management at the end of halves during Shanahan’s tenure. He’s said his goal is to score with no time left on the clock, but that lesson from his dad gives some insight into why there are some strangely conservative play calls for the 49ers late in the second quarter.
Keeping the ball in that spot is a priority, but hanging another unnecessary INT on his QB’s stat sheet may also be something Shanahan is trying to avoid.
If Brock Purdy continues to be a good decision-maker it’s easy to see Shanahan becoming more aggressive early in drives at the end of the second quarter, but don’t expect San Francisco to begin flinging Hail Marys to end a half any time soon.
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